Cameron, Schulz hold crucial talks
Cameron, Schulz hold crucial talks
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker refused Tuesday to entertain the idea of a British exit from the European Union, saying there is no “plan B” ahead of talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Mr Juncker, head of the EU executive, said he expected Britain to stay in 28-nation bloc as “a constructive and active member.” “If I would say now that we have a plan B, this would indicate a kind of willingness of the commission to envisage seriously that Britain could leave the European Union,” Mr Juncker told a debate at the European Parliament in Brussels.
“So I am not entering into the details of a Plan B, because we don’t have a Plan B, we have a Plan A. Britain will stay in the European Union as a constructive and active member of the Union,” he said. Mr Juncker said the commission and European Council President Donald Tusk were working on a number of proposals for a key EU leaders summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
It remains to be decided whether the proposals are “seen as being fair for Britain and are seen as being fair for other member states,” he added. Mr Cameron has four key demands, the most important being restrictions over four years on welfare payments to EU citizens working in Britain.
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister David Cameron held talks with the head of the European Parliament on a deal to avoid Britain crashing out of the EU, ahead of a crunch summit this week.
The British Premier met Martin Schulz and leaders of the two main political groups in the assembly, hoping to find a sympathetic ear over reforms he is demanding to avoid a so-called “Brexit” from the 28-member bloc.
European Union chief Donald Tusk on Monday said the EU was at a “critical moment” in its history, warning during a visit to Romania that “the risk of break-up is real because this process is indeed very fragile”.
Downing Street indicated a deal on the reforms is expected at a summit on Thursday and Friday, after Mr Cameron held last-minute talks with French President Francois Hollande.
They “agreed that we are making good progress on the UK renegotiation and that the draft text from the European Council provides a firm basis to reach agreement at this week’s summit”, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said after the talks in Paris on Monday. The upbeat assessment came after a French official warned earlier in the day that while there was “political willingness” to clinch an agreement, “more work is needed, particularly on economic governance”.
Mr Cameron had been expected to attend a gathering of presidents from each of the European Parliament’s groupings in Brussels on Tuesday, but instead held only bilateral meetings. The anti-EU UK Independence Party accused Mr Cameron of being a “chicken” after he pulled out of a meeting that would have included its leader Nigel Farage.
Mr Tusk will also meet with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras in Prague and Athens as part of his own whirlwind diplomatic push ahead of the summit.
